If helmets become a compulsory item to wear for the purpose of one's well-being, and if it ultimately passes through Parliament to become law, it'll just set a precedent for future action(s). What's next-compulsory to wear wrist guards and/or impact shorts? Rather than promoting safety gear, why not offer free lessons for beginners; like taking a defensive driving course before getting your full license.

for goodness sake stop trying to save me from me, leave me alone to make my own choices about what i consider necessary for my own protection. and yes it is all about me ! i make the choices about what i need or do not need to keep safe not some shiney ass do gooder. if you think you need or want a helmet then good on you thats YOUR choice it certainly isnt mine.

I vote HELMETS HELMETS HELMETS!!!! But not only for skiing. Helmets should be compulsory for skiing, skateboarding, roller blading etc. This has nothing to do about nannying - its about your personal safety! I find the report in the ODT on 24/7 quite disturbing. The number of people transported to hospital from Queenstown ski fields has risen from 83 last June to 123 this June. No frekkin wonder my ACC levies keep climbing. So over this attitude of people - i get hurt, someone will pay for me! As far as im concerned, if you don''t wear the proper protective gear and injure yourself, then like any other insurance - you have not met the conditions of the policy then you are not covered. Will save the tax payer Millions!!

I lived in Whistler Canada for a year and got to ski for 6 months of the year on the incredible Whistler/Blackcomb fields. In my first month of skiing a good friend of mine, and very experienced skier who grew up in Whistler slipped on some ice on a green run and hit his head in the fall. He went into a seizure in front of me and was airlifted out to Vancouver hospital. If it wasnt for his helmet (which 99% of people wear over there)he would have had permanent head injuries or possibly worse. After witnessing that happen to someone who grew up skiing some of the best and hardest terrain out there, it freaked me out. It just showed that regardless of how good you are, a freak accident can happen anytime and helmets help save potentially severe head injuries. I bough myself a helmet straight away and have not skied without it since, even here in Christchurch. I get odd looks from people, who immediately think Im just a learner, but have been skiing for over 20 years. I don't care what others think of me on the slopes, i thoroughly enjoy myself and know that if anything was to happen that I have good head protection!!

Seriously? People have a problem with wearing a helmet when skiing? Why don't we just take away all the laws for helmets, speeding, drunk driving etc.? In fact, lets take of all the safety labels from electrical items and explosives. The problem will eventually take care of itself, and we won't have to legislate. Darwinism, you need to love it.

Ski helmets are fantastic. It's the only way to keep your head and ears warm with googles firmly in place. The crash protection is great too. My GPS shows I hit about 70km/h on skis, even a slow skiier on a blue slope will be doing more than 30km/h.

I don't think they need to be made compulsory, but they should be provided as part of every rental set. I've been wearing one for 10 years and occasionally (racing) before that.

Unfortunately it will have the opposite effect by making those already 'too cocky' on the slopes even more reckless. I will not be wearing a helmet regardless as removing 'risk' from adventure activities is just lame and this kind of 'cottonwool' approach to life is pathetic. See you up there folks and watch out, hit me and I will hit back.

The article says that there is increasing market demand for the helmets.

Safety has nothing to do with fear. It is just about protection.

@Bobby McGee: I guess we'd better listen to you then, seeing as the universe revolves around you, eh?

"Nanny state" much like "PC gone mad" is a term used by people incapable of forming a reasonable argument. It is a glib and pointless phrase. All it does is diminish the worth of the speaker's opinions.

It could be that, on learner slopes, they are not necessary. But on more advanced slopes they are.

People who say that wearing a helmet diminishes their enjoyment obviously doesn't enjoy it enough. If you **really** loved skiing, it wouldn't make a difference to you.

This cotton wooling to protect us is going to reach idiotic proportions. Already proposed has been enforcing wearing helmets while driving your car to the supermarket. What next, wearing a helmet in your home in case you slip and fall? Life has its hazards and making people fearful does not make us more resilient or self reliant. Stop this namby panding before we become afraid to live.

There is too much that is compulsory in our nanny state - please don't detract from my skiing pleasure by making me spend even more money on a piece of equipment that i haven't needed in 45 years of skiing around the world. It has been shown that giving people a false sense of security by equipping them with something that gives the illusion of invulnerability modifies their behaviour in a negative way. More hoons skiing beyond their ability will put the rest of us in danger.